Thursday, July 24, 2008

Book Review : Brida by Paulo Coelho

Brida,

This is the story of Brida, a young Irish girl (I am sure beautiful, as author has described her very pretty), and her quest for knowledge. She has long been interested in various aspects of magic but is searching for something more. It is tale of love, passion, mystery and spirituality from the master author, Paul Coelho.I don’t know what I liked about this book but I am going to put some of the text from the book and write what I felt for it... and hope it will give you an insight on what the book is all about,

On one of the page author says,

"...each person can take one of two attitudes; to build of to plant..."

I don’t know how it sounds to you guys but it perfectly right as in our course of action, we take two ways, either to build or to destroy and it’s till destiny we face of the consequences of it. What author about to build is,

"...Life loses it meaning when building stops", and for to plant he says, "... in history of each plant lies the growth of the world...”

When Author begins the story and introduces the central character of the novel, Brida, 21 years old, he describes her as a teen-ager, in faded jeans and T-shirt. A girl who might be older by thoughts but very pretty and young by looks. She is looking for an answer regarding life...wants to travel in the time. Magus, one of the characters in the novel, who is master of tradition of Sun, leaves in a forest and Brida, is standing in front of him, thinking about him as an interesting man. Question which he asks to Brida and answer which she gives is amazing. Magus asks her what if you fell in love, and in the day I (means Magus) teach you the wisdom of cosmos and in the night he (means someone Brida loves) teaches her wisdom of Love. What if you need to choose any one out of two? Study or your love. And to this Brida replies that she will choose her love. Since she said truth, Magus agrees to teach her. But this part of story keeps all of us thinking, how many times in the life we came across situation, where we need to choose and instead what we do is what pleases certain person, but not to us. Here Brida thought if she said she will move, Magus might not teach her, but instead he agrees. Brida doesn’t think about what’s has not happen yet, but she says what she felt, and how many times we have done that in our life?Story moves on and Magus becomes teacher of Brida. She takes an important lesson of life and moves back from where she came on a note to come back for further knowledge of the mysterious world. On the city where Brida lives, she gets a chance to meet Wicca, who in contrary to Magus follows the tradition of the Moon. Brida visits her for the more knowledge and knowing Magus was interested in her, Wicca decides to meet her. They talk about the Tarot cards and story of cards. They talk about Soulmate, a part on which this entire novel is based upon. Tradition of Sun, Moon and Soulmate the main pillars of the book. Author carefully tells about the Love at First site and what soulmate is beautifully and makes us believe that there is a science which is out of reach of common man.

Brida, travels back in time, and looks at the past birth of her thanks to the tarots and conversation with Wicca. This makes the chapters even more interesting to read. Wicca again talks of soulmate here and a para which states that is so beautiful that I can’t resist myself mentioning it here

"In the Night of time when we were separated, one of those was charged with nurturing and maintaining knowledge:man. He went on to understand agriculture, nature and the movements of the stars in the sky. Knowledge was always the power that kept the Universe in its place and starts turning in their orbits. That was the glory of man......

....

To Women was given something far more subtle and fragile, but without which knowledge makes no sense at all, all that was transformation. The men left the soil fertile, we sowed trees and soil was transformed into trees and plants

The soil needs the seed, and the seed needs the soil......."

I don’t know how Paul managed to write so beautiful on the relationship of a man and woman and process of birth. It’s simply amazing.

Brida goes to the Magus again for getting the answers which comes in front of her due to Wicca and Magus is happy to see her, why? (Read the book to get more details)Brida keeps on taking and talking to Magus and Wicca for her knowledge quest and story moves greatly in to the event of the actions. We also come to know that Dark night is the only way to grow. Dark night if compared with our life, is like, problems which are like dark night can be the only way to grow...

Science of clothes, meaningful things and diary, many things like this keep happening on the following pages and you feel your self tied to the book. Power of love (here, sex) and it says to achieve maximum knowledge you must have felt it... wow... can you believe it, but sometimes even I feel, sex can be a great teacher too...There are many things in the book that I can talk about and go on and on but that wont be right as, book deserves it share of success and to know more you much read the books, another para which I was very much impress is,

No one can possess a sunset like the one we saw that evening, he went on. Just as no one can possess an afternoon of rain beating against the window, or the serenity of a sleeping child, of the magical moment when the waves break on the rocks. No one can possess the beautiful things of this Earth, but we can know them and love them. It is through such moments that God reveals him self go mankind.

Before I sigh off the review of this book, just last line from the book which I want to quote,